This is The Public Speaker: Quick and Dirty Tips For Improving Your Communication Skills , with your host, Lisa B. Marshall.
I love it when mylisteners call the show hotline with questions. Here's one that represents several that I've gotten over the past few months. I am an international medical graduate and I am applying for residency in the US. I will have an interview at the end of January. Can you kindly provide some tips for a successful interview?
With today's job market, I suspect this topic will continue to be popular so I have created a two-part episode covering 10 quick and dirty tips for interviewing. For those of you who would like even more practical and actionable interviewing help, I'm currently creating an hour long audio book. More details to come on that.
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Like the boy scouts, my motto for effective interviewing is “be prepared.” Mostly, because when I talk with professional recruiters the number one complaint they have is that too many people come unprepared to interviews. (Interestingly quite a few also mention bad breath and as a big problem!)
What I've found is that many people just don't know what they need to do. Interview preparation just isn't the same as it was even a few years ago. There's much more to it now. In fact, I had a hard time choosing just 10 tips and I had to split them up into two episodes.
So here are the first five.
One: Research 1. Research. Research. Research. You should learn as much as you can about the industry, the organization, the key leaders, and the specific people who will be interviewing you. (At a minimum get the name and title of the hiring manager, but try to get this info for everyone).
Obviously the best place to start your research is the organization's website; but don't stop there. Google everyone who will be part of your interview process. Your goal is to discover common ground that you can use to build rapport quickly during the interview.
You'll also want to use LinkedIn to find people who used to work at the company and contact them. My husband even found the last guy who had the job that he was interviewing for and talked with him on the phone. Don't forget to search Google news for recent headlines about the industry, the company, and its key competitors. That adage, “Knowledge is power,” is true, especially during the interview and when it comes to evaluating an offer.
Two: Google Yourself 2. Of course the recruiters are also doing their homework. They're Googling you. Ideally, you already know what's “out there,” but you'll want to check again before an interview. You might be surprised. (Oh, and if you haven't done it already, create Google and Twitter Alerts, which will automatically send you updates.) What? Nothing shows up when you Google your name? At a minimum you should create a profile on LinkedIn (the link is in the show notes) Depending on what you do, you might also want to join a niche network. Why? Because you want the interviewers to discover more positive things about you and get to know you better. You also want them to read the fabulous recommendations you've gotten from your old bosses and colleagues. Speaking of recommendations, you'll want to review your reviews! Of course, you should you be regularly asking for recommendations, but the interview gives you a good excuse to ask for a few more. For your interview, make sure you remember one or two of them so you can work them into the conversations. Having others sing your praises really is a proven persuasive technique. Oh, and you'll also want to begin to think about which of your references will make the best references for this particular opportunity. Three: Review Your Profiles and Resume 3. Of course, you'll want to review your profiles in detail. Like a resume or CV you need to be 100% correct with spelling and grammar. (If you are a non-native speaker, ask someone to help you). In a down economy it is critical that your words very clearly convey all the skills you currently have and how they can benefit the organization.
Also, keep in mind, that a profile is NOT a resume (although I've heard people say that). A profile is less formal and should reflect your personality -- your voice. (You might want to check out a post from Guy Kawasaki called “LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover.” Although the post is specific to LinkedIn, the principles can be applied to most profiles.)
A clear, concise, and compelling profile that is written in your own voice will go a long way towards making you stand out among the competition. Use the flexibility of the format to provide a more complete picture of yourself. By taking the time to do this, it will also help you to develop (or refine) some of your basic job search sound bites. These are your prepared and practiced responses to standard interviewing questions.
Four: Work on Your Soundbites 4. In fact, most people get hung up in the company research and don't spend enough time on this step. You'll need to refine and rehearse as much as you can. For example, you'll need long and short versions of your job history. You'll need to know how to articulate the skills you bring and your work evidence that support your claims. It's important to practice with someone so they can give you feedback. It also helps tremendously to record and critique (Viddler and Utterz are my favorite tools for this).
Just like your profile, refine your sound bites so that they're clear, concise, and compelling. Practice them several times a day in short bursts, so that when you deliver them, they sound spontaneous and not rehearsed. During interviews your words need to be second nature. The idea is that you are so comfortable with your words, that instead, you can focus on the subtle reactions of your interviewer and adjust your responses.
Five: Create a Professional FAQ 5. One way to help you develop your sound bites is to create your professional FAQ. This is a document that asks and answers the commonly asked interview questions in the form of an FAQ. By creating this tool, it helps you to refine responses and can be used as notes during phone interviews. Leave a copy by the phone and carry one with you, in case you get an unexpected call. Also, consider sending it along with your resume. It makes a great impression and helps you stand out by anticipating what the interviewers want to know.
Next week, we'll pick up from here and cover five more tips. This is Lisa B. Marshall. Passionate about communication; your success is my business.
Thanks For Your Help Hey gang, I could use your help. For the interviewing audio book, I want to be sure I cover all the things you'd like included. Let me know which areas you think you'd like to know more about and which areas you think have already been covered to death! Oh, and if you have any creative tips for interviewing that you'd like to include in the book, please send along too (you'll get the credit, promise!). Text and video responses are welcome.
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Administrative If you have questions about how to communicate better at work, leave a voice mail at 206-350-7970 or email publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com. Sign up for Lisa's newsletter or get information about speeches and workshops by visiting lisabmarshall.com. You can find a transcript of this show and links to connect with Lisa at publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com.
Episode Question Hey, if you're still listening, this week I have a request. Send me your interviewing horror stories! Put interviewing horror in the subject line. I can't wait to read them!
